Bridge Scene
by Boidheach Aeghill
Summary: Haruhi's eyes were wide, her mouth in a small "o" as she was easily flown from the carriage. He felt his world stop. His chest constricted painfully as he watched her small body connect with a passing light pole. "No! Haruhi!" This is an alternate ending to the bridge scene at the end of the anime. Oneshot.


_Dear readers,_

_ I know that Tamaki and Haruhi don't really confess their love for one another until they are in the airport seeing his mother off. However, I could feel their love back in this part of the anime. This is an alternate ending to the bridge scene, when Haruhi is chasing Tamaki._

_ Sincerely,_

_ Boidheach Aeghill_

Her heart constricted in her chest and it was hard to breathe. She whipped the horses faster.

"_Please! Please don't let me be too late!"_ She prayed.

There! She could see them on the bridge. The horses jumped and she let out a breath of relief at their successful landing.

"Haruhi!" She heard him yell. He stood quickly in the back seat and faced the brunette. His breath caught in his chest as he looked at her. Her white underdress and short hair flew in the wind. Her face showed determination as she made the horses go faster. He felt an uncomfortable worry wash through him at her reckless actions.

"What are you doing Haruhi?! This is dangerous! Stop the carriage right now!"

"Sempai! Please, come back to Ouran!"

She looked over at him and, if the situation had been different, he would have scolded her for taking her eyes off the road.

"I mean it! Stop the carriage!"

"All of us would be completely lost without you sempai!"

He paused for a moment.

"_They would be lost without me?"_

"But they… They all said that they were put out by the host club."

Her face flared with anger and again he cursed the current situation. She looked adorable!

"You really are an idiot! What's wrong with you?! After all this time we've been together, you still can't tell when we're joking and when we're serious?! Everyone loves being in the host club! We really do! Even me, sempai! I love being a part of the host club too! "

Her face changed from angry to happy during that short speech. She let go of one of the reins and held out a hand to him. He stared at her completely transfixed.

"_She wants me to stay!"_

He wanted nothing more than to jump out of the car and into Haruhi's arms. The world suddenly went quiet except his heart pounding in his ears. All he could see was Haruhi's smiling face. His body acted on its own and his hand was suddenly reaching for her. A smile came to his face as he got closer to her.

"_I'm going home…"_

A hand on his arm pulled him out of his hypnosis and he stared down at his fiancé. Just the thought of marrying this woman made his stomach churn but he pushed the feeling back. She was stopping him and he felt confused at what he should do.

Suddenly the two horses stumbled and the coach rammed into the side of the bridge. His head shot up and for a moment he was sure that he had died, for his heart stopped beating. Haruhi's eyes were wide, her mouth in a small "o" as she was easily flown from the carriage. He felt his world stop. Her eyes remained locked on him as her body began to make its way away from him.

"Haruhi!" Her name shot from his mouth before his could stop it. His chest constricted painfully as he watched her small body connect with a passing light pole. Her head connected and resulting thud made him sick. Her eyes rolled but he could tell she still had a small focus on him. The restrain on his arm was suddenly gone and he flung himself off the car.

"No! Haruhi!" his hand reached out to her and he could tell she was fighting to remain conscious.

"Sempai!" She weakly called back and reached for him too. Their hands clasped and he pulled her to him. Tears formed in his eyes when he saw her now pale complexion smile at him. He pulled her flush against him and buried his face in her hair. His hand became damp and he knew that her head was bleeding. He clung to her tighter.

"_Please! Please be ok!"_

He watched as the water made its way to them and prepared himself for the swim of his life. Before they plunged into the water he heard Haruhi whisper in his ear.

"I love you, Tamaki."

They plunged into the ice cold water and he cursed himself for letting his shock at her confession delay his goal of getting to the shore. He pulled her to the surface and faced her. She floated slightly on her back, eyes shut.

"Haruhi?" He felt panic rise in him when he received no response. He quickly grabbed her and began making his way to the shore.

"Hey boss!" He heard the twins shout. He swam faster. Once his feet were able to touch he grabbed Haruhi bridal style and ran to the others.

"Kyoya! Call an ambulance! Please!" Their faces turned to shock at his load but he was pleased to see Kyoya already on the phone.

"W-What happened?" Hunny asked. Tears were already streaming down his face.

"S-she hit her head." He stuttered out. Shock was already setting in and he took a couple deep breaths to try and clam myself. To no avail; he was panicking. He clutched her fiercely and stared down at her face.

"_She's so pale!"_

"They'll be here any minute." He heard Kyoya say, but it sounded muffled in his ears. "Let me see her Tamaki." Kyoya continued and a new wave of panic set in.

"No! Don't take her!" He clutched her more to him and he saw everyone jump back at his protest.

"Ok! Ok! I just want to check her vitals." Kyoya raised his hands in front of him and slowly made his way to them. He placed his fingers on Haruhi's throat and he scolded himself for not checking for this as soon as they we're on land.

"Her heart rate and breathing are fine. She is probably just unconscious." Kyoya stated. Tamaki nodded weakly and suddenly felt his legs give out. He flopped to the ground with Haruhi in his lap and continued to stare at her face praying for some sign from her.

"Boss stop crying! She'll be ok!" Hikaru said.

"_I'm crying?"_

He couldn't tell. He was going through shock; that much he was sure of, but he didn't care. He buried his face in her hair again and prayed to whatever god was listening that she would be ok.

"Please wake up. Please wake up. Please wake up." He kept saying this over and over.

"It's ok son." His head shot up at the man. The ambulance was here already.

"Give her here. She'll be fine." Tamaki clutched her to him again but the more rational part of him knew that this man knew what he was doing. He carefully handed her over and felt empty as he watched him walk away with her. He looked down at himself. His white suit was covered in her blood, as was the hand that had moment's age been cradling her head. He felt his stomach knot at how much there was.

Another man came over and began asking him questions but he was too far gone to hear him. He felt hands help lift him up and lead him away. He was headed to the ambulance too. Knowing that she was there gave him a small burst of energy that made it easier for the men to get him there. Once he was inside he wanted to go straight to Haruhi but she was surrounded by people so instead he seated himself near the door.

"Tamaki." He turned my head. It was Kyoya. "We'll meet you at the hospital ok?" He nodded briefly then turned his attention back to the girl.

"How is she? Is she ok?" He kept asking but was once again ignored. The doctors and nurses kept poking and prodding him and it was starting to get irritating.

"Ok Mr. Souh. You're free to go. You just suffered from a little shock." The doctor said.

"_No shit…"_

"Where is Huruhi?!" He finally snapped. The doctor flinched back slightly at the outburst but he didn't care. Tamaki gave him his best glare and it seemed to pay off.

"Uhh… Down the next hall. Third door on the left." He pointed over his shoulder nervously. Ignoring him, he dashed out of the room and headed to her.

"Boss!" Turning around he found his friends, obviously headed to where he was. They had an assortment of stuffed animals and chocolates in their arms. Presents for Haruhi no doubt.

"How are you feeling?" Hunny asked.

"Fine. Let's go check on Haruhi." He quickly turned around and could tell that they had a momentary confusion at his short reply but paid it no mind.

"Boss! We brought you some clothes." Tamaki halted for a moment then turned back to the others. His clothing was soaked and covered in blood. He yearned to see Haruhi but he knew that his friends were right. Mumbling a quick thank you, he went back to his room to change.

"He's really taking this hard isn't he?" Kauru mumbled. Hikaru just nodded.

"It appears that this little fiasco has made Tamaki aware of his feelings." Everyone turned shocked to Kyoya's statement. "Haven't you noticed? Tamaki has 'the look.'"

"What?!" Everyone shouted. Kauru turned to Hikaru with concern. The boy looked heart broken. Kauru watched in fascination as Hikaru's frown turned into a smirk, then into a full out smile.

"Well, it's about time." Hikaru said and Kauru had a moment of shock at how mature he was about this.

"Ok I'm ready. Let's go." Tamaki came out from the room wearing jeans and a blue sweatshirt. He hastily headed toward Haruhi's room. The others all stood in shock as Tamaki did indeed have "the look." Getting out of their momentary shock they followed their king. They all got to the room and hesitated a moment before entering.

Tamaki's heart stopped again and he wondered how long it could keep doing that before he actually died. Haruhi lay on the bed eyes closed and a bandage wrapped around her head. Her white underdress was replaced by a hospital gown. They all shuffled inside and gathered around her bed.

"Haruhi?" Tamaki quietly asked but got no answer. They all leaned over her and waited for any kind of response.

"You think she's asleep?" Hunny asked.

"Probably." Kyoya stated. "She had quite a day. It wouldn't surprise me if she-"

"Boo!"

All of the host club jumped at Haruhi suddenly sitting up. Hunny sempai even gave a small scream.

"Ha ha ha!" Haruhi started laughing and Tamaki's mood automatically lifted. "You should have seen your faces!" She clutched her stomach and continued to laugh at them. His heart soared as he watched her and his hands itched to touch her. However, Hunny seemed to have the same idea and lunged a hug at her.

"Haruhi! We were so worried!" He gave her his brightest smile and continued to snuggle into her. Tamaki couldn't stop the wave of annoyance that ran through him.

"Hunny sempai, let the rest of us have a turn." Hunny was plucked away from Haruhi and was instantly replaced by the twins. They both hugged her and proceeded to give her lovey-dovey looks.

"_Get away from her!"_ Tamaki could feel his jealousy start to rise.

"Ok guys, get off!" Haruhi snapped and they were instantly away from her, much to Tamaki's relief.

Mori sempai simply gave Haruhi a very gentle pat on the head along with a smile. Kyoya gave her a gentle sideways hug and quickly stepped away from her. She then looked up at Tamaki expectantly; a smile on her face. Tamaki felt his cheeks redden and his heart quickened. He cleared his throat and sat on the bed next to her. His hand found her cheek and his thumb gently rubbed her cheek. Suddenly it was like back in the car. His breathing stopped, and everything around him disappeared. All he could see was Haruhi. All he could think about was how close he came to losing her. He pulled her to him and his hand snaked to the back of her head, being careful of her injuries. His other hand wrapped around her waist and he buried his face into her hair. He felt her arms wrap around his back and clutch to his shirt tightly.

"_She's ok…"_

"_He's ok…"_

They both reveled in the fact that they were safe and together. After a moment Haruhi pulled away from him slightly.

"I'm really glad you're staying sempai." Then she smiled at him.

"_O damn…" _ Tamaki's face turned a deep red. _"She's so cute!"_

Before he embarrassed himself he changed the subject.

"How are you feeling?"

"I have a bit of a headache and I'm a little dizzy but I'm ok."

"Maybe we should let you sleep." Tamaki stood up and turned to the other members. "Ok men. Let's leave Haruhi alone."

He began to walk away when she grabbed his hand. He gasped and looked down at her. She looked up at him pleadingly.

"Will you please stay sempai?" She asked shyly.

"_She looks so adorable! Her cheeks are pink. Are her eyes always that big? O boy…" _ Tamaki stared down at her in shock, not really sure what to do.

"You heard her," Kyoya said, "let's leave them alone." Tamaki couldn't take his eyes from the girl clutching his hand but he would remember to thank Kyoya later.

"What?! You expect us to leave those two alone together?!" Hikaru and Kaoru complained as they were being drug out the door.

After the door closed the two remaining people were at a loss for what to do. They continued to stare at one another, Haruhi still clutching his hand.

"uhhh…" Haruhi wasn't sure why she wanted him to stay. She just knew she didn't want him to go. Finally she noticed that she was still clinging to him and blushed.

"Sorry!" She let go like he burned her and put her hands up in front of her.

Tamaki smiled at her and was reminded again of how cute he found her. He sat back on the bed and took one of her hands in his. He rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb and got intrigued as her blush deepened.

"Haruhi, I'm sorry I got you hurt." His free hand came up and placed itself on her head and ran his fingers through her hair.

"W-What are you talking about? You didn't do this." She stuttered.

"I never should have proposed to Éclair. I should have thought of another way to fix my problem. I never wanted to leave, Haruhi, but at the time I wanted to see my mother so badly. I'm sorry."

"It's ok sempai. I should have taken the time to ask you about your family. I didn't know about your mom. I bet if we work together we can come up with a way for you to see her."

Tamaki leaned his forehead against hers, closed his eyes, and let her scent wash over him.

"Thank you Haruhi."

"Sempai?"

"ya?"

"I'm really glad you're not getting married…" she mumbled and Tamaki had to take a moment for her words to register in his head. He opened his eyes slightly and looked down at her. Her blush was still present, but her eyes were closed and a smile was on her lips. She was beautiful. His eyes closed again and he pressed his lips to her forehead. Her breath hitched and her chest constricted.

"Me too Haruhi." He whispered back. Suddenly he remembered what he had heard before they fell into the water.

"_She said that she loves me…"_

The shock ran through his body again and Haruhi felt him tense up.

"Sempai?" Her voice was laced with confusion. How could he be so loving one second and tense the next? Tamaki pulled away from her and stared intently into her eyes.

"Haruhi… I… I'm… " He was terrified and he had to take a deep breath to reduce his bodies shaking.

"I'm in love with you Haruhi."

The world stopped for them; their breathing, their hearts, the time, it all stopped. Time did eventually catch up to them and the seconds ticked by while Tamaki watched all of the emotions on her face; confusion, shock, disbelief, happiness, love, and finally embarrassment. Her face turned the brightest shade of red he had ever seen and she hastily turned her face away. His hands gently cupped her face and made her look at him.

"Haruhi, I think you said that you loved me before we fell into the water. Did I hear you right?" His heart beat loudly and he wondered if Haruhi could feel how badly he was shaking.

She stared up at him wide eyed obviously uncomfortable about being put on the spot. She slowly shook her head in confirmation.

He was ecstatic!

"_She loves me!"_

He smiled and placed another kiss on her temple before leaning his head once again against hers.

"Would you please say it again for me Haruhi?"

He felt her body tense and begin to shake and he rubbed his thumbs across her cheeks soothingly. She took a deep breath. She didn't realize how hard it was to say when she wasn't falling off bridges.

"I-I love you Tamaki." She was mildly impressed when her voice came out stronger than she thought it would. She suddenly felt so happy!

"_Tamaki sempai loves me back!"_

Before she could stop herself, a laugh ripped from her throat. Tamaki was shocked at her sudden outburst before joining her in her laughter. Soon their laughter turned into quiet chuckles and Haruhi's hand came up to hold one of his at her cheek. His mouth dropped slightly as she pulled his hand away and place kisses along his palm. She worked feather light kisses down to each of his fingers then back up to his wrist. He couldn't stop the shot of electricity that ran up his arm and straight to his heart. She soon stopped her ministrations and gazed up at him. He gulped nervously

"C-can I kiss you?" He asked timidly and he wondered why that was. During club hours he was never this timid with the guests. His only answer was because he loved Haruhi and none of the other girls.

"Y-yes." She answered just as timidly. He cradled her face again and repeated the soothing motions on her cheeks. He slowly lowered his lips closer to hers and noticed that her eyes were closed and that adorable blush stained her cheeks. He let his eyes fall shut as his lips gently pressed to hers. Electricity shot down their spines. They pulled away slightly and their half lidded eyes gazed at one another. Shock ran through him once again as Haruhi reached up and grabbed the nape of his neck before slamming his mouth back down to hers. His shock at her boldness was quickly dismissed as their small pecks changed to more heated kissing. Tamaki let his tongue trace her lip and she let out a small gasp. He let his tongue vaguely join their dance. Small teases against her lips or tiny brushed against her own tongue before retreating again. Heat began to pool in their stomachs and their breathing began to get labored. After a couple more kisses Tamaki pulled away from her and had to smile when she gave a small sound of protest. He laid his forehead on her shoulder in order to catch his breath; also to avoid the temptation of kissing her again.

"Man, now I'm really dizzy…" Haruhi mumbled and tightened her hold on him. The room was spinning!

"Haruhi? Haruhi, are you ok?!" He began to panic when he saw her face pale and she clenched her eyes shut.

A wave of annoyance ran through her as he began to rant obnoxiously, like usual.

"_He's still the same old sempai…"_

Her world stopped spinning slightly and she opened her eyes to look at him. Although she felt annoyed at his behavior, she could tell that he was really concerned about her.

"Sempai! Sempai, I'm ok!" She tried to push the annoyance out of her voice but could still hear it there.

"Are you sure?! Do I need to go get the doctor?" Tamaki looked extremely conflicted and she almost felt bad for the guy.

"No, I think I just want to lay down for a minute." She decided this was a very good idea as her world became completely grounded again.

"Ok. Well, I'll just go so you can-" As he was standing up she pulled on his hand with a force that surprised him. His legs hit the edge of the bed and he barely caught himself before he fell completely on top of the girl. He stared down at her in shock. They were nose to nose and he felt his desire rise as he took in their compromising position.

"I'm sorry Sempai! I just didn't want you to leave!" She placed her hands on his chest in order to put distance between them, but the feel of her hands on his chest only made it worse for him. He swallowed the lump that was in his throat.

"Well, Haruhi, all you had to do was ask." Before she could protest he plopped onto the bed next to her and laid on his side so he was facing her. She mimicked his position and automatically felt relief from the injured side of her head. She gave him an apologetic look.

"I'm sorry sempai. It's just, since my mother died, I've been a little afraid of hospitals." Tamaki placed his hand on her shoulder and began rubbing soothing patterns with his thumb. She automatically felt herself relax more.

"I'm sorry you lost her at such a young age." He replied.

"I promise Tamaki, we will find a way to get you to your mother. You still have a chance to be with her…" She thought about how she would never see her own mom again. Then she thought about Tamaki's situation. His grandmother had forbid him from seeing her on the terms that she would support any of Anne's financial situations. Anne had refused of course, but Tamaki had decided that he would go. A part of her felt happy that he had chosen that he did, for if he hadn't, they wouldn't have met. She couldn't blame him for his choice. His mother was sick and had no money. She probably would have done the same thing if it were up to her.

"_What kind of woman is his grandmother? Who forces their grandson away from their mother? Knowing her she probably bribed Tamaki into that marriage-"_ She let out a strangled gasp as her epiphany hit her.

"Haruhi? What is it?" His hand on her arm tightened and his face became concerned. She was looking at him but saw through him.

"_H-he…he was… o god… I made him stay… His grandmother must have bribed him with the chance to see his mom and in return he would have to marry Éclair…I made him stay… I made him stay… He had a chance to see her… and I made him stay…"_ Her mind was in a frenzy. She continued to stare past Tamaki into her own world.

"Haruhi?! Haruhi snap out of it!" Tamaki shook her harder and wondered how many times this girl would make him panic today. Shaking her was obviously not getting her out of it so, without knowing what else to do, he pressed his lips to hers in a desperate attempt to bring her back. It seemed to have worked because she gave a startled jump before slowly kissing him back. She was crying. He could taste the salt of her tears as they kissed and he wound his arm around her in comfort. She in turn, wrapped her arm around his waist and pulled herself to him, desperate to be closer. Once they were both begging for breath they pulled away and Tamaki stared down at her. Her eyes were closed and she was still crying.

"Haruhi. Why are you crying?" He began rubbing her back and was surprised at how natural it felt to do so.

"Your grandmother bribed you with your mom didn't she?"

One of the things that he most admired about Haruhi was the way she spoke so bluntly, but surprise still ran through him.

"That was a very astute observation." He replied.

"Tamaki, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have stopped you. You would be with her right now if it wasn't for me. I shouldn't have been so selfish-"

"Stop right there!" He almost shouted and she stared up at him in shock. He looked angry.

"_I've hardly ever seen him angry…"_

"Haruhi, I'm supposed to be the stupid one in the group but now you're being even more of an idiot than I am!" Her confusion and shock grew at his words. "You saved me Haruhi! I would have been able to see my mother, yes, but being married to that woman would have killed me. When I saw you in that carriage, I wanted so badly to be with you, and when you got thrown off the bridge, it terrified me. And when I couldn't get you to wake up after you hit your head…" His voice was shaking. The image of her small body being tossed like a rag doll flashed through his mind. He pressed his forehead to hers and his voice turned softer. "I'm so thankful to you. I would have condemned myself to a life of loneliness. We will find a way for me to see my mom, and when that time comes, I hope that you are the one to go with me."

Her spirits lifted at his speech and when he finished she was unable to find her voice so instead she just nodded.

"Now that that's over with, you need to rest. You look exhausted."

She suddenly noticed how very tired she felt and how badly her head was throbbing. As if sensing her discomfort, Tamaki moved his hand up to the base of her skull and began a gentle massage. She let out a moan of approval and she felt, more than heard, Tamaki chuckle. At any other time she would be embarrassed for such a sound to come from her, but at the moment she was enjoying his attentions so much that she didn't care. She could feel herself dozing off.

"I love you." She heard him whisper.

"I love you too" Then she was asleep.

Tamaki chuckled next to her. Her reply came out in a jumble of words that he was unable to comprehend, but based on the smile that appeared on her face, he could assume that she had returned the loving phrase. Giving her one more peck on the head, he let himself drift off to sleep with her.


End file.
